￥Hollow Sun Advanced Noise Generator KONTAKT | 52 Mb
Sometimes, you just can’t have enough noise. For special effects, sound design, atmos, drum and percussion sounds, sweeps, etc., noise is such an invaluable tool. Sadly, these days, noise is something of an afterthought on many synths with just one paltry selection and with today’s software based synths generating it digitally, it’s just not the same as true analogue noise, it’s pseudo-random noise based on mathematical algorithms.

True analogue noise is created using a zener diode which is biased into breakdown to produce truly random noise. Another method is to use a transistor wired so that its emitter-base junction is reverse biased which does much the same as a zener diode. It seems daft but analogue noise does have an appreciably ‘weightier’ quality to it than virtual analogue noise, even though they may ‘look’ essentially the same on a ‘scope or in a wave editor.

… and each of the samples is over two minutes long meaning each noise colour lives and breathes true analogue before seamlessly looping into an almost equally long loop. These then pass to a multimode filter offering 2, 4 and 6-pole lowpass, 2 and 4-pole bandpass, 1 and 2-pole highpass and a phase shifter. These are modulated by two LFOs, one offering a simple sine wave, the other offering simultaneous triangle, sawtooth, variable width square and random waveforms for complex, non-cyclical filter sweeps. The modwheel can also be used to modulat the selected filter type’s cutoff frequency. There are also separate LFOs for amplitude modulation and pan modulation. Together, these provide all sorts of possibilities for radom, abstract noise soundscapes that are ideal for soundtrack work … and that’s before they pass to the various distortion units and the delay and convolution reverb.

Furthermore, the Advanced Noise Generator has a life of its own with the ‘Serendipity’ button – click on the Hollow Sun logo to have the thing generate its own sound at random. In fairness, the results might be unpredictable and chaotic but they’re a good starting point for inspiration to tweak and refine to your needs. In fact, some of the 40 presets started off using the ‘Serendipity’ button – some used ‘as is’, others modified into something interesting and useful. The Advanced Noise Generator takes over where most synths fail. Back in the pre-synth days of early electronica, they used dedicated noise generators like the one below for their esoteric sound effects…